A Friend-Date
by Totidem Verbis
Summary: "People go on dates on Valentine's Day, but who says it has to be romantic? If two friends want to go on a date, they should."


**Author's Note:** This was written for the Secret Cupid event on tumblr. I hope you like it!

 **Word Count:** 6220

"I can't believe it. I finally have a day off, and everyone already has plans!" Botan slammed her empty can down onto the table, and she heard Shizuru laugh as she started to really pout. It was just…that demons crossing over to the Human World and humans being aware of their existence had meant a lot of extra work for her, but things were finally starting to settle. This was the first time Botan had pre-planned free time, and all of her friends already had plans!

"It's Valentine's Day, Blue. None of them are going to cancel the possibility of romance or getting laid," Shizuru said in her no-nonsense tone. Botan sputtered a little as Shizuru's lips curved in an amused smile, but she knew the other woman was right.

When she'd gone to see Yusuke and Keiko, to see if Keiko might be free, Yusuke was the one who all but pushed her out the door while rambling on about the two of them having important marital things to do. She'd gone to Yukina next, but the ice maiden had just blushed and then apologized profusely for already making plans. (Botan had been so shocked that Yukina had plans for the most romantic day of the year, considering she didn't know the ice maiden was dating anyone, that she hadn't been able to question her before Yukina slipped away.) Next Botan had asked her newer friends if they had plans, and they'd all laughed nervously while apologizing.

So, here she was at the end of the day, sitting in Shizuru's apartment and complaining. She'd actually walked in complaining as soon as Shizuru had opened the door, and the other woman had steered her into the kitchen and passed over a can of her favorite soda for her to drink in between rants. She knew it was unfair of her to complain like this, but she'd been really looking forward to spending her free day with friends. Now, she would probably just wind up staying in Spirit World, where she'd more than likely get roped into doing extra work.

"Oh, I know, and it's okay," Botan finally sighed. Her friends were going to be happy, and that was what was really important. They all deserved to be happy after all of their hard work over the years.

Botan was pulled out of her thoughts as Shizuru leaned back in her chair; there was the quiet sound of wood squeaking against the kitchen tiles, and she looked up to meet Shizuru's too-knowing eyes. She knew that Shizuru was a psychic, but sometimes she wondered just how much Shizuru could know. The look she had in her eyes said that she could read minds, which could be helpful or downright terrifying depending on the situation. So, Botan raised her chin a little and smiled as Shizuru studied her, to show her friend that she really was okay, but she had a feeling that Shizuru could see right through her.

"How about the two of us have a friend-date on that day instead?" Shizuru asked after a moment. Botan looked down at the table as she thought over the words, and she absently traced her finger through the condensation from her soda can on the tabletop.

"A friend-date?" She glanced up at Shizuru as she asked it, and Shizuru took a quick sip from her own can as she hummed.

"People go on dates on Valentine's Day, but who says it has to be romantic? If two friends want to go on a date, they should."

What Shizuru was saying made sense. Why couldn't two friends go on a date? It beat sitting in her room at Spirit World alone or doing extra work on her day off, and Botan always enjoyed Shizuru's company. The more Botan considered the idea, the more she warmed up to it. She'd never done anything for Valentine's Day before, being a Pilot of the River Styx didn't give her a chance to date very often, so it'd be nice to do something so… _human_. Participating in the human holiday with someone that she genuinely enjoyed being around was a huge bonus as well.

"You are absolutely right! We should go on a friend-date!" Botan declared and smiled across the table at her friend. "What do friends do on dates?"

Shizuru's eyes scrunched up just a little as she laughed, and Botan just watched her as she tried to understand why Shizuru was laughing. She didn't say anything funny! Shizuru slowly stopped laughing and wiped at the corners of her eyes, but she continued to smile after seeing the confused and frustrated look on Botan's face. Then, she reached up to wipe at the corners of her eyes before saying, "Don't worry about it, Blue. I'll take care of the details. You just show up and look pretty."

 **Valentine's Day**

Botan stood outside of the apartment building and lightly bit down on her bottom lip as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. Today was the day. Valentine's Day. Her long-awaited day off, and the day of her first ever Valentine's Day date. It was just a friend-date, sure, but a date all the same. She was just spending the day with Shizuru though, so she shouldn't feel so nervous! Shizuru had even told her to just dress casually, which she had, and she'd been looking forward to this ever since Shizuru suggested it, so she should just get over her small bout of nerves and walk into the building!

"Uh, Botan?"

"Gah!" She screamed quietly as she jumped, and she clapped a hand over her chest as she glared up at Kuwabara. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"You were looking right at me as I walked outside. I even waved," Kuwabara said and bent down to get a closer look at her face. She leaned to the side and realized that Kuwabara had just walked out of the apartment building, where he still lived with Shizuru while attending his college classes, and she must have been looking in that direction. How'd she miss seeing him then?

"Right, sorry. Must have gotten a little lost in my head!" Botan gently tapped a fist against the top of her head while laughing, and Kuwabara smiled at her as he stepped back and then straightened up to his full height.

"I gotta run, but have fun with sis today!" She blinked and Kuwabara was just…gone. She turned her head to the side to see him walking down the sidewalk at a very fast pace, she'd probably have to run to keep up with his quick strides, and she slowly shook her head. She had no plans to chase down Kuwabara. Nope, her plans for the day were with the elder Kuwabara.

After straightening her spine, Botan took several decisive steps forward and walked into the apartment building. The Kuwabaras lived on the top floor, and the elevator never really worked so she had to walk up the stairs. The few flights were nothing compared to the stairs at Genkai's temple though, so Botan wasn't even out of breath as she reached the top floor. There was even a small skip in her step as she walked down the hallway, and she was nearly dancing on the spot and humming as she knocked on the correct apartment door.

"Hello, friend!" Botan's greeting was cheerfully sung as the door opened, and Shizuru's eyes widened for just a moment in surprise before her expression shifted into something a little more amused.

"You're on time, that's good," Shizuru said distractedly as she stepped back from the doorway. She was still blocking the way into the apartment though, and Botan held still as Shizuru bent over to tug on a pair of boots next to the door.

"Are we on a schedule?" Botan asked. Were dates always carefully scheduled out? She thought she understood how dates worked, but she could be wrong. At least it seemed like she'd dressed appropriately. She was wearing plain jeans and a soft pink sweater, and Shizuru was wearing a pair of comfy-looking jeans and the cream colored sweater that Kuwabara had gotten her for Christmas. Shizuru was even pulling on a pair of brown boots that looked similar to the ones that Botan was wearing.

"Tentative schedule," Shizuru answered and straightened up. She patted her pockets to make sure she had everything, and Botan took two hops backwards so that Shizuru could step out into the hallway and close the door.

"What's first?" It had taken some restraint, but Botan didn't ask the question until her and Shizuru were outside of the apartment building and walking down the sidewalk. The morning air was still cool, and Botan smiled as she noticed the couples around them using the temperature as an excuse to cuddle closer as they walked.

"I don't want to ruin the surprise." When Botan looked over, she could see the edge of Shizuru's smile as they continued to walk.

She could hear questions bouncing around her mind, but she pushed them all down. Shizuru had been nice enough to spend this day with her and to plan everything out, so Botan could be patient. Just this once. Still, she felt her eyes widening in anticipation every time they passed a new building or Shizuru slowed down for any reason. Fifteen minutes after leaving the apartment, Botan was nearly vibrating with curiosity. She was just about to finally cave and ask where they were going again when Shizuru came to a complete stop, and Botan turned to see what Shizuru was looking at.

"A spa day?!" Botan asked excitedly. Her fingers were lightly gripping the sleeve of Shizuru's sweater as she looked at the building in front of them, and Shizuru tilted her head enough that their eyes could meet.

"You always complain that you're never free for the girls' spa trips," Shizuru explained. That much was true. Keiko, Yukina, and some of the other women that they'd met over the years often had days for "just the girls" where they could relax. Spa days were a big part of that new tradition, but Botan usually wound up having to work and missed out.

"Oh, thank you!" Without any further thinking, Botan rocked up onto her toes and wrapped her arms around the taller woman's neck. She could hear Shizuru laughing as she was hugged from the side, and Botan pulled back with a huge grin still plastered on her face. "To the spa!"

As it turned out, Shizuru had made reservations for them so that they could get a full treatment. A couple of hours later, Botan felt like a brand new person. Especially after that full-body massage. She'd thought for sure that she'd fallen asleep and was dreaming at one point, because there was no way that something that felt that amazing could really exist. It had all been real though, and she felt like she was resting on a cloud as she leaned back in a chair and let some woman paint her toenails a pretty purple color. Shizuru was in the chair next to her, getting her toenails painted red, and Botan let her head roll to the side so that she could smile fuzzily at her friend.

"Having fun?" Shizuru asked with a small smile of her own. She looked so much more relaxed than usual, and it was such a good look on her. Like all of the stress and worry that she usually carried had been lifted.

"This has been amazing. How did you get reservations though? I overheard someone saying that they've been booked for _weeks_ ," Botan whispered. Which made sense, after Botan started to think about it. Going to a spa was a very Valentine's Day thing to do, right?

"A few of the workers here are regulars." As she answered, Shizuru raised her hand and waved to a woman escorting someone towards the sauna. The woman waved back with a bright smile, and Botan admired the way her long green hair was carefully styled. Was that something Shizuru had done? Botan knew that she was very talented and loved working as a hair stylist, but she'd never really seen Shizuru work before. Except for when she forced Kuwabara into a chair and trimmed his hair.

"Lucky them," Botan said and smiled some more.

Every inch of her was pure relaxation, and she felt like she'd been poured into the fluffy robe that she was wearing. After her pedicure was over, Shizuru had to grab her hands and pull her out of the chair because she was too relaxed to even get her body to move. Getting redressed after that was an interesting experience, she nearly fell twice while trying to pull her jeans up, but she felt completely rejuvenated as she met Shizuru in the spa lobby.

"Lunch?" Shizuru asked her. Botan's head tilted to the side as she thought it over, and lunch did sound like a good idea.

"After you!" Botan decided.

Shizuru led the way back outside and down the sidewalk, and Botan hummed as she walked next to her. When Shizuru asked her what she wanted to eat, Botan told her that it didn't really matter. She'd never been particularly picky about food, especially since she didn't even have to eat while in her spirit form, and she trusted Shizuru to find them something tasty to eat. She even let Shizuru order something for her when they stopped at a vendor next to the park. Honestly, Botan had been more preoccupied on watching the people in the park than what the vendor was selling.

"We can eat it over here," Shizuru said and started walking towards the park while carrying their food. Botan followed after her with a slight blush, she hadn't realized that she'd been that obvious about looking at the park while she people-watched, but Shizuru didn't complain.

All of the benches and small tables at the park were already occupied, so they found a nice place on the ground to sit. They were sitting under the slight shade of a tree, because the day had finally started to warm up some, but a little sunlight managed to break through. Botan danced her fingers around a shaft of light as she absently chewed at her food, and the silence was peaceful as they ate and watched others in the park. It was so peaceful that Botan yawned after finishing her food, and she could feel her face heating up again as Shizuru laughed quietly.

"I'm so sorry! I just haven't been sleeping much lately, and that massage was so wonderful! It's also such a nice day out, don't you think? Not too warm but not too cold, a really perfect temperature, and—Argh!"

Botan's wild rambling was cut off as something wrapped around her wrist and pulled, and she managed to let out a small noise of surprise as she was toppled to the side. Instead of falling onto the grass though, her upper body was pillowed by Shizuru's torso. Her face tipped back as she blinked, and she realized how warm Shizuru was as her friend's arm moved to wrap around her shoulders.

"You can take a quick nap," Shizuru said quietly.

"But what about our date? Our friend-date?" Botan quickly corrected.

"The only thing left is dinner tonight, so you have plenty of time to take a quick nap." That did sound appealing, and Shizuru was very comfortable to lie against.

Mind made up, Botan wiggled around to get more comfortable. She scooted down so that her cheek was pressing against Shizuru's shoulder and curled her legs up, with her knees pressing against Shizuru's thigh, and Shizuru's arm wrapped around her waist helped her to feel more secure. Her eyes closed as Shizuru's hair brushed against her cheek, and she sighed as her body started to relax against the other woman's. She could still hear the other people in the park, laughing and talking, but she started to get that floating feeling from being half-asleep pretty quickly.

"Oh, the two of you look so cute! Would you like your picture taken?"

"Hmm? What's it?" Botan mumbled at the sound of a strange voice. There was a little bit of a breeze now, and she curled in tighter against Shizuru's side before peeking her eyes open. There was a young woman standing in front of them, possibly even a teenager, and she was holding a camera in her hands as she grinned down at them.

"I'm taking pictures of happy couples today," the unknown woman explained and waved her camera a little to back up her words. Botan thought about correcting the woman, because her and Shizuru weren't a couple, but she liked the idea of having their picture taken. She was always happy to have more pictures of her friends.

"For how much?" Shizuru asked. The girl shifted, but the smile on her face never dimmed.

"No charge! You're free to donate though." Botan tipped her head back against Shizuru's shoulder, and she watched as the woman's eyes narrowed on the bubbly woman still holding her camera up. When Shizuru looked at people like that, Botan wondered if she was reading them. Maybe not their thoughts, but maybe she could read their intentions or something like that. Something similar to the way Kuwabara could tell if someone was a good person or not.

"One picture," Shizuru relented. Her arm tightened around Botan's back as she shifted to pull out a slim wallet, and Botan blinked as Shizuru handed the younger woman some money. Her grin only grew as she pocketed the money and then she raised her camera up to her face.

"Say cheese!" Botan was smiling when the camera flashed, thankfully, and the young woman carefully grabbed the picture that slid out of the camera and passed it to Shizuru. "Thank you so much, and I hope you have a sweet day!"

"I liked her," Botan said once the girl was talking animatedly to another couple several feet away. Shizuru snorted out a quiet laugh as she waved the picture in the air, to help the picture to form, and Botan yawned a little before relaxing against Shizuru's shoulder again.

The two of them watched as the picture slowly formed, and it was a very nice picture. In Botan's opinion, at least. It showed how Botan was curled against Shizuru's side, her cheek still brushing the other woman's shoulder, and she could even see Shizuru's hand braced against her side to help hold her steady. Botan's hair was a little messy from laying against Shizuru, but there was some color in her pale cheeks as she smiled straight ahead. Shizuru was leaning towards her with her back braced against the tree, and her friend looked…softer, in the picture. The smile on her face was small, but the look in her eyes was nearly glowing.

"At least she knows how to take a good picture," Shizuru mused. Botan could already feel her eyes getting heavy again, and Shizuru leaned down to rest her cheek against the top of Botan's head. "You can go back to your nap. I'll wake you up later."

"You're the best, Zuru," Botan mumbled sleepily and let her eyes close again.

 **.xXx.**

"I don't understand. Why do you have to change clothes?" Botan could hear Ayame as she rooted through her closet, occasionally tossing clothes out, and she paused as she held up a pair of black leggings.

" _I think I can work with these,"_ Botan thought and draped the leggings over her shoulder.

"You were already dressed earlier, so why change just to have a meal with someone?" Ayame continued as Botan looked for something nice to wear.

"Because it's not just a meal! It's dinner, at a nice restaurant! So I can't just wear the same jeans that I've been wearing all day!" Botan called out. Not that her jeans were dirty, even after spending most of the afternoon sitting on the grass in the park.

That was a happy memory. Shizuru and Botan had parted ways after the park, but Botan had promised to be at Shizuru's apartment at six sharp. So now all Botan really needed to do was find something suitable to wear. She'd gone out to places to eat in the Human World plenty of times, but that was normally for a quick lunch or a rowdy dinner with her friends. (Any dinner with her demon friends was going to be a rowdy dinner. There really was no help for it.) She wanted her first nice dinner to be just that… _nice_. Which meant wearing some other than a pair of old jeans and whichever sweater she happened to grab first.

"I thought your outfit was nice." Ayame sounded a little confused, but that was probably because the other Pilot never really visited the Human World. Maybe Botan should take her out more often?

"And now I'm going to wear something nicer! Aha!" Botan grabbed a dress and stumbled out of her closet, and she paused as she took in the sight of her room. Clothes were tossed all over the floor and her bed, and there was even a long skirt draped across Ayame's lap because she was sitting at the foot of Botan's bed. "Oh, sorry about that."

"It's fine," Ayame said with a serene smile. Botan grinned at her friend and then hopped over clothing until she reached her vanity, and she placed her clothes down so that she could start changing.

"Your friend sounds like a very nice person, for doing all of this for you," Ayame said as Botan hurriedly stripped.

"Oh, Shizuru's great! A little too honest sometimes, but absolutely great! A truly wonderful friend," Botan said as she pulled her leggings up. Once they were in place, she carefully picked up the dark pink dress she'd chosen.

"Then I'm glad you are getting to spend time with her." The dress slipped over Botan's head with ease, and she smoothed the end of it down against her thighs. It stopped above her knees, and it had little cap sleeves so that her arms were left bare. Jewelry or no jewelry? "What time are you meeting her?"

"We're meeting at six," Botan said as she started to brush her hair. She secured it in a high ponytail with a hair-tie that matched her dress, and she turned side-to-side to make sure that she didn't have any loose hair.

"Can you make it to the Human World in five minutes?"

"Five minutes?!" Botan screeched. She turned in circles before finally finding her alarm clock, half-hidden under a tossed out tee shirt, and she really did only five minutes before she was supposed to be at Shizuru's. Well, she'd never been a big fan of jewelry anyway. "Oh, I'm going to be late!"

Ayame watched as she jumped around the room to put on her boots, a nearly identical pair to the ones she'd been wearing earlier but in black this time, and she nearly fell over as she tugged the second boot on. She was dressed, it didn't feel like her hair had fallen down while she flailed about, so she was about as ready as she'd ever be. She summoned her oar as she walked across her room, and she looked over her shoulder after opening her bedroom window. Ayame was still sitting at the end of her bed with a smile on her face, and she waved a hand as Botan looked at her.

"Go have fun tonight. Everything will be fine here." Botan smiled at Ayame in thanks before hopping onto her oar and leaving through the open window, and she rushed down towards the Human World.

There was a small possibility that she broke a few speeding laws as she hurried towards the Human World, but no one stopped her so she didn't bother with worrying about it. She landed in front of Shizuru's apartment building fifteen minutes later, and she took off running up the stairs as soon as she was inside of the building. By the time she reached the top floor, she was a little out of breath. Still, she pushed on until she reached the end of the hallway and could knock on Shizuru's door. Her hands were braced against her knees as she took in a few deep breaths when the door opened, and she peeked through her bangs to see Shizuru looking curiously down at her.

"I was…running…late…sorry," Botan managed to get out between breaths. She pushed herself up after speaking and tried to smile, but a hard shiver caused her face to scrunch up instead. She looked down at herself to see what had caused that reaction and then slapped her palm against her forehead as she groaned. "Oh! I completely forgot to grab a jacket!"

"I'll get you one." Shizuru sounded amused instead of annoyed, and she left the front door open so that Botan could step inside while she moved farther into the apartment. Botan briskly rubbed her palms against her shaking arms as she waited for Shizuru to return, because she was really starting to feel the cold that she had ignored in her hurry.

"Sorry for being such a spazz," Botan said as she watched Shizuru walk towards her. She was definitely glad that she had changed though, because Shizuru had dressed up as well. Her black slacks fit well against her long legs, she was wearing a long sleeved white-button up shirt under a black vest, and Botan bit down on her smile as she realized that Shizuru was wearing a dark pink tie.

"Don't sweat it, Botan. Just wear this so you don't freeze to death," Shizuru said and held up a jacket. She was holding it so that Botan just had to turn around and hold her arms out, and she let out a quiet sigh as Shizuru wrapped the thick black jacket around her. That was much better. She was still smiling as she turned around, and she realized that she had to look up just a tiny bit more than usual because Shizuru was wearing low-heeled boots. "Ready to go?"

"Ready!" Botan said and grinned. Shizuru's smile was small, but fond at the edges, and the two of them quickly left the apartment.

While they walked, Botan asked Shizuru about some of her more…colorful clients. The rest of the walk was spent with Botan muffling her loud laughter with her hands while Shizuru told stories that somehow painted her more unusual clients in a favorable light, and it felt so good to just let go and laugh. Botan knew that her work was important, but she missed her friends when she had to work too much. She'd also missed just spending time with Shizuru. The two of them had made a habit of getting lunch together at least once a week after Kuwabara started his university classes, but Botan had been breaking their scheduled plans more and more lately. Well, that was just going to have to change!

"It's not all that fancy, but they've got the best food," Shizuru said as she led them into a small restaurant. It looked more comfy and cozy than some of the other places that they'd passed, and Botan's eyes quickly moved around as a man led them to an empty table.

The lighting was soft, and Botan marveled at the strings of fairy lights strung up. The tables were small and filled with couples, and the table cloths were dark red. There was even quiet music playing somewhere, and the whole thing was relaxed, but still intimate. Botan was still looking at everything around her in delight as they were seated, and she made a quiet sound of awe as she realized they were seated under a skylight. There was a small bouquet of roses in the center of the table, and the table itself was small enough that her knees knocked against Shizuru's as they got comfortable. She was taking in all of the other decorations when a waiter appeared at their table with a bottle of champagne, which they both accepted, and then he smiled down at them as he placed two menus on the table.

"Will you be ordering one of our Valentine's Day Couple Specials tonight?" he asked. Shizuru met Botan's eyes and raised a brow in question, and Botan smiled as she stretched her hand across the table. Palm facing upwards, of course. Shizuru grabbed her hand with ease, and they both turned to smile up at the waiter.

"That sounds lovely. Give us a minute to decide?" Botan asked. The waiter bowed his head and walked off, and Botan bit down on her bottom lip to keep from laughing as she turned to look at Shizuru. The other woman was smiling as well, fully this time, and Botan squeezed her hand just a little.

"Specials mean discounts, so good call. What looks good to you?"

By the time the waiter appeared again, they'd both decided on what to get. Botan let Shizuru order for them because she was too busy looking at the decorations again, and they kept their voices quiet as they took turns creating stories for the other couples in the restaurant. Sometimes Shizuru was more reserved around their other friends, so Botan was always happy when the woman let her guard down and started to open up. Shizuru was an amazing storyteller, and Botan loved listening to her. Some of the things she was "making up" might even possibly be true, thanks to her psychic abilities, and Botan hoped that was true because they were only telling happy stories tonight.

Their little game continued even after their food arrived, and they took turns giving out details in between bites. Some of the descriptions made Botan laugh until her sides hurt, and it was so hard to keep quiet. Other stories were more sweet and just made her sigh dreamily, or that could be the champagne she was drinking. She'd always been a bit of a lightweight, but Shizuru didn't seem impacted at all. The night seemed to fly by as they talked and ate, until even their chocolate dessert was gone and it was almost time for them to leave.

"Okay. Last one. What about them?" Botan asked and looked at a couple sitting in a corner of the room. They were a little on the young side, possibly still just teenagers, but Botan thought they looked sweet together.

"The one on the right, the redhead, has been in love with the other for years. She was always too afraid to say anything though, too afraid of losing her best friend, so she kept quiet. At the end of this school year though, her friend is going to move away to go to university. So Red decided to take a chance and asked her best friend out for Valentine's Day," Shizuru said after a moment. As they watched, the girl with long red hair smiled and laced her hands together on top of the table as her cheeks turned the same color as her hair.

"And the friend?" Botan asked.

"The friend…she never realized that Red felt that way, and she'd never thought about it herself. When Red asked her to dinner on Valentine's Day, everything clicked for her. All the things that she'd been trying not to think about suddenly made sense, and she said yes immediately. All night, she's barely been able to take her eyes off of Red. Now she's telling Red that the school she really wanted to go to has accepted her. The same school that Red is going to." The other girl at the table had reached out to grab Red's hands, and the two teenage girls were smiling as their eyes locked.

"I really hope that's true," Botan whispered. The two girls looked so happy together, blind to everyone and everything but each other.

"Sometimes people get a happy ending. Ready to go?" Shizuru had taken care of the check while Botan was a little lost in her head, and she snapped to attention as she looked across the table at Shizuru. It was getting late, so it was time for them to head out.

"Yes, I'm ready." She slipped Shizuru's jacket back on before standing up, and she nearly tripped as she tried to walk around her chair. Thankfully, Shizuru was able to catch her before she could really embarrass herself, and Shizuru linked their arms together with an amused huff.

Shizuru kept their arms laced together after they'd left the restaurant, and she didn't complain when Botan walked closer to her. The sidewalk wasn't very crowded, but she liked being close to the other woman. There actually wasn't anything about Shizuru that Botan didn't like, now that she was thinking about it. She'd spent the entire day with Shizuru, but she was still sad that their day together was coming to an end. The apartment building was coming up soon, and Botan could feel her stomach sinking as she thought about saying goodnight.

" _She was always too afraid to say anything though, too afraid of losing her best friend, so she kept quiet…All the things that she'd been trying not to think about suddenly made sense."_

Was Botan like that? She'd always looked forward to spending time with Shizuru, and she was more upset when she had to cancel with Shizuru than she was when she had to cancel plans with other friends. She sought out Shizuru's company more than anyone else's, and she always felt happy and at peace when she was with her. Over the years, Shizuru really had become her best friend. So, did she simply refuse to really think about her feelings because she was worried about losing her best friend? Because Botan didn't want to lose time where they could be happy together, if Shizuru felt the same. She thought that maybe Shizuru did; she always seemed to open up more with Botan and the look in her eyes became a little softer whenever their gazes met, but it was also possible that Botan was just imagining what she wanted to see.

There was only one way to know for sure, right?

"Are you okay? You've been too quiet," Shizuru said as they stopped in front of her apartment building. It was now or never. Botan turned so that they were facing each other, which caused their arms to unlace, but she quickly moved so that she was holding Shizuru's hand instead. Shizuru looked confused, but she didn't look away from Botan's face.

"This was a friend-date. A date between friends and nothing more?" Shizuru's confusion only grew, and Botan tried to hurriedly get her thoughts in order. "Because, according to my research on all things human, everything we've done today is more like a real date. The spa, the lunch in the park, and the dinner. If it really was just a friend-date, then I'm completely okay with that! Because today has been so much fun, but…but if it was more than just a friend date, I'd be okay with that too. More than okay. I'd prefer that, actually."

"You done?" Shizuru asked as Botan sucked in a breath. Shizuru was smiling again, a real smile that caused her eyes to crinkle at the corners just the smallest amount, and Botan felt a faint _swooping_ sensation in her stomach.

"One last thing." Botan tightened her grip on Shizuru's hand as she rocked up onto her toes, and she kept her eyes open long enough to see Shizuru's eyes widen before their lips pressed together. The kiss was quick, it only lasted long enough for Botan to know that Shizuru's lips were really soft and tasted like the strawberry dessert she'd had, and her cheeks felt overheated as she rocked back onto her heels. "Okay. Now I'm done."

"I made you a copy of our park picture and put both of them in frames." Shizuru's eyes widened again, like she was surprised at what she had just said, and Botan felt her cheeks stretching in a smile.

"So, not a friend-date? A real date?" Botan asked excitedly. Shizuru's hand shifted so that their fingers were laced together, and she used the point of contact to pull Botan a little closer. They were standing so close now that their toes were touching, and they were sharing air as Botan looked up at Shizuru.

"A real date always ends with a goodnight kiss, so I think this was a real date," Shizuru said and lifted her other hand. Botan felt warm fingers drifting over her chin and along her jaw, and she turned her face into Shizuru's hand.

"With more real dates in the future?" she asked hopefully. Her other hand was holding onto Shizuru's side as they leaned even closer, and she could faintly taste strawberries as Shizuru answered.

"If my girlfriend wants to go on dates, we'll go on dates." _Girlfriend_. Botan was still smiling when Shizuru leaned down to turn their almost-kiss into a real kiss, and she fell into the feeling with a quiet sigh.

" _Best Valentine's Day ever."_

 **Ending Note:** Thank you for reading!


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